Another year, my seventy fifth in fact and I intend to use my time this year, as every year, to the fullest of my ability. It is already well into the year 2017 and I have been working hard at slow stitching which is a really meditative process, however, I have listened to audio books for long periods when I did not have to contemplate on the stitch.

These are two poor photos but good enough to illustrate just what I have been doing. A work in progress! There is no direct flow in the sewing as there is no order in the length of the running stitches both consciously chosen to reflect on the often unplanned migration of many individuals. Take me as an example; I met a young man just as he was finishing his education at the university in Edinburgh. We decided to base the future on our relationship which in the end led to me arriving in Copenhagen one rainy thursday morning 55 years ago. I had not heard Danish before the evening before on the boat from Oslo yet by the following monday I was employed in a hospital for old people. Why did we come to Denmark? My husband found it difficult to find work in Norway when he had finished his military service in Norway but there was a building boom here so he applied for a job in one of the big entrepreneur firms and got it. On clearing the greenhouse after last summers crop I got this wonderful root from one of the tomato plants which I found gave me thoughts about migration very relevant at the time as our motorways were full of folks wandering up from south Europe. The fabric is Metis bought from France on Ebay; actually an old worn sheet that could tell us a real tale if it could but it cannot so I am giving it a rebirth in a new story. Decisions have to be made about whether to sew the text by hand or use the sewing machine and which colour to use for the text. I have decided to continue slow stitching on the text as relaxation from the spiders web sewing. Black will just be too dominant/hard in my opinion since I want the text to blend in with the root although it has to be readable. The first text at the top will be Our roots are the foundation for the rest of our lives. Then I will begin at the bottom just under the root, I came from Scotland. This will be followed by Name came from wherever.

I have drawn the first web onto a piece of solv 80 three four meter long and two meters wide. In my naivety, I was certain that I could easily sew this out in my work shop on the cleared table.

I am using Tenera Thread because it has been developed by Gore for outdoor fabrics such as sails or awnings. This is a tricky thread quite difficult to use specially in a demanding situation like this. It took me a whole morning to accept this fact! So I have decided to cut it up into sections so that I can sew each section in my indoors studio going back to the workshop for the final sewing together of the parts. This makes it possible to hang the cone on my curtain rail just behind my sewing machine giving the necessary stretch on the thread which is of importance for the tension. I have done the first bit but ran out of thread, however, more is on the way. I got this clear thread directly from Gore as a trial! I will be getting five cones in all by post tomorrow, one clear, one blue, one black, one red and one yellow which is quite an investment all told. I am looking forward to sewing the spiders… they will have to be scary!!

All part of the sustainability in the module I had to stop. Sometimes companies do react positively when contacted and some do not. You know that I have to wear Class III Compression Panty Hose which come in some delightful shades of beige and black. I contacted the firm in Switzerland that have the task of knitting after my measurements asking them why they did not make them in more “modern”, more fashionable shades or maybe even reds and greens etc.. Impossible! It can be done but not by the firm that delivers to our National Health. I get two pairs free per annum which does mean that I have to buy some myself and next time I will try another brand.

Oh – You have already come so much further than when I saw this work – Looking beautiful. Can’t wait to see it in May and then the spider web will be done too. Exiting to see you take these great strides.